Crosstown rivals Southern California and UCLA meet for the 94th time and the first as Big Ten Conference counterparts when the Bruins host the Trojans on Saturday at Pasadena, Calif.
Both USC (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) and UCLA (4-6, 3-5) are playing for their bowl-game lives.
A loss eliminates the Bruins from bowl participation in their first year of Big Ten membership, while falling at UCLA would send the Trojans into their regular-season finale against top 10-ranked Notre Dame needing a victory to land a bowl bid.
The winner of the Victory Bowl this year also takes the lead in what has been one of the most competitive stretches in the rivalry’s history. The teams are 6-6 over the last 12 meetings dating back to 2012 and have exchanged wins in the last four encounters.
The home team has not won since a 52-35 decision for USC in 2019. UCLA continued the run of road wins last season with a 38-20 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, sparked by quarterback Ethan Garbers’ three passing touchdowns and a 142-yard rushing effort from running back T.J. Harden.
Garbers heads into Saturday’s matchup on a run of four consecutive games passing for multiple touchdowns, but his two last week came in UCLA’s first loss of that stretch in a 31-19 setback vs. Washington.
The Bruins’ rushing offense is among the nation’s least productive at 85.4 yards per game and regressed to 52 yards last week after posting season-highs of 139 and 211 at Nebraska and vs. Iowa, respectively.
“I would like to see us deal with adverse situations better,” said Bruins coach DeShaun Foster on Tuesday when asked about injuries on the offensive line. “We’re not going to make excuses.
Foster was a UCLA running back from 1998-2001, after he was recruited as a defensive back by USC, and knows all about the cross-town rivalry.
“I’m just glad we have another opportunity to play,” Foster added. “This type of game is one that can get us back on track.”
A prominent figure on Saturday, who switched sidelines from a season ago, is USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who held the same post at UCLA in 2023.
“The culture defensively within our program has shifted in a lot of ways,” said Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, who is 1-1 against the Bruins. “I’m really proud of how we’ve progressed schematically. I’m really proud of how we’ve progressed fundamentally.”
The Trojans’ defense is allowing 22 points per game this season under Lynn after surrendering 34.4 per game in 2023.
USC is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2 against LSU and Utah State. The Trojans ended their streak of one-possession losses in conference play, having dropped each of the previous five games decided by one score before last week’s 28-20 victory over Nebraska.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava recovered from an early pick-six in his first career start to go 25-of-35 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the ball to six pass-catchers who had at least receptions, while Woody Marks rushed for 146 yards on 19 carries.
